Frozen in Darkness
by Criya Astleon
Summary: A thief named Shadow Pawn has been plaguing Maxville and its up to our favorite hot head to save the day, With the help of Will and the rest of his friends they will uncover the mystery that is Shadow Pawn
1. Prologue

Frozen In Darkness

Have you ever felt frozen? Not frozen in the physical sense, but emotionally. My emotions have been locked down for twenty years. I haven't felt anything since the day I met King, after that it was just too dangerous. The day I met King was the worst day of my life, and it was the day I decided to lock down my emotions so deep that he could never find them. I willingly locked my true self away to keep from breaking into a million pieces, and that vault was so deep and dark that no daylight would ever pierce it.

I continued on for countless years in this state until one day a tiny speck of a light was thrust into it. It was a frail and fragile thing that the slightest bit of breeze would put out, but it spread light in my darkness like the brightest of suns. It thawed my heart and brought it back to life. Somehow without my realizing it this light had wormed its way past all of my defenses into the deepest part of my being, and it scared me. I had never let anyone in that close and I didn't know how to act. One thing I did know was that my light needed protection and I was the best one to do that.

My set of talents where ones that let me be one with the darkness they had kept me safe thus far in life and they would keep my light safe. That was the catch though my powers would keep my light safe, but would my light thrive and grow? It needed an environment that I couldn't provide by myself and the only way to get it was to go against my masters wishes. He wanted the light all to himself and I couldn't let that happen so I did the one thing I thought I would never do. I asked my arch nemesis a super hero for help, and by my actions changed my entire life as I knew it.

_Breaking news. We have just been informed that Shadow Pawn has struck again last night. It was late last night that Shadow Pawn broke into the Maxville museum of cultural arts and stole a painting by the up and coming artist Sheila Coleson that was on exhibit for local artist month. As usual SPD is on the case and they have informed us that they are working on several leads and hope to break the case wide open within the following week. It is only the latest in a long string of robberies by Shadow Pawn and no one has ever caught the culprit on camera. Shadow Pawn has left a black pawn at each of the sites of the crime. Over the last year Shadow Pawn has cause three million dollars worth of property damage and stolen over 150 million dollar in items. We can only hope that they catch him or her soon. Until then we'll be reporting from the front lines this is M10 news signing off._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun was just setting and night was creeping onto to bustling metropolis of Maxville. Melody breathed in the scents of the city and watched as the sun sunk under the horizon. This was her favorite time of day, it was her sunrise where everything hung in limbo if just for a few moments. In those brief minutes she could pretend that everything was alright with her world, when in fact it most certainly was not.

"Snap out of it Mel you've got a job to do," she mumbled to herself as she surveyed what was soon to be her job. She looked down from her perch on top of a ledge fifty stories from the ground and looked across the way at the penthouse suite of the Griffen building. Her target was a computer program that had been secretly under development for the past six years. The program in question had the capability to bypass any security system on the market no matter the firewalls. The owner of the program had turned down her master's very _Generous_ offer and that was why she was crouched on a rooftop. She had been watching the penthouse for a week and now she was ready to make her move. The owner Jason Duvall had just left for his weekly jaunt on the town and wouldn't be back until dawn, she wouldn't get a better opportunity anytime soon. She quietly materialized herself in the living room, taking time to block all of the cameras with her shadows before she had fully appeared. Once she was sure all the recording devices where blocked she made her way into the bedroom where the hidden safe was. The safe was in the floor underneath something very tacky that passed as a rug for Mr. Duvall, throwing the rug aside she leaned over and put the combination in. Throwing the safe door open she quickly located the program and stuffed it in her breast pocket before leaning back down to leave her calling card , the black pawn. She had just closed the safe door when she heard someone clear their throat right behind her. Turning around quickly she grinned at the sight of the three superheroes standing before her.

"Well if it isn't Ace leader of the SPD, clever thinking using Scout to keep an eye on the penthouse I didn't think to check under the furniture," she said with a smirk.

"Put your hands up Shadow Pawn, we have you surrounded," said Ace

"Really do you now?" she said with a smirk behind her mask. "Can you really surround what you can't see?" she asked as she used her shadows to flood the entire room. The now blind superheroes fumbled around uselessly trying to catch her. "Let this be a lesson to you and your squad Ace," she said with a bit of a chuckle. "Never go into a situation without knowing exactly who you are going up against and what they can do. Because if you don't you will end up just looking foolish, like you are now. It was nice playing with you, but I have to run. Tata," she said as she dematerialized. As she reappeared back on the ledge she was on earlier she watched the superheroes regain their sight and what was left of their dignity. Of course she had know that Ace and his squad were going to show up tonight. She had heard Duvall call them after she had threatened him last week. Scowling at that thought she headed home, she disliked showboating but King had decided that she needed to give the superheroes a sporting chance. It's not like she could ever disobey King it was entirely too painful. With that thought she appeared back in King's lair and made her way to the throne room. The throne room was a study in elegance and intimidation, with dark painted walls and high vaulted ceilings. The only light in the room shown down on the dais where King sat upon his throne. She knelt before him and raised the program in her upturned palms before her.

"I trust it all went as planned?" he asked archly.

"Yes my Lord, the superheroes fell for the ruse exactly as we planned," she said tonelessly. It seemed King was in one of his moods and that didn't bode well for her.

King raised his eyebrow at her. "Did they indeed, I feel that you went to easy on them. You will pay for it tonight by serving me in my room, are we clear Ameryllis," he said.

She bowed her head in acceptance and said, "Yes my Lord."

"Fine you may go," he said with a dismissive flick of he hand.

She rose and walked quietly from the room. Something must have happened while she was out because she had followed King's plan to the letter, there should have been no reason for his displeasure with her. "Better get this over with," she mumbled to herself as she headed to her to get cleaned up for her night with King.

Melody was staring at the ceiling, King had just finished with her and he had been unusually rough. Slowly she rolled of the bed, testing her aches as she went and bent over to retrieve her robe. She was sore and moving hurt, but she couldn't afford to let King see how much he had hurt her. Melody had just pulled her robe onto her shoulders and tied the belt when King spoke up from behind her on the bed.

"Ameryllis when you leave, do take that little irritant that is in my closet with you. Her imbecilic parents should have known better than to sell me an infant. She is to be in your care till I decide what to do with her," he said without ever looking at her.

"Yes my Lord," she said bowing her head in subservience as she grabbed the child sized lump off the floor of his closet and quickly left his quarters. The walk back to her room was quiet the child not uttering so much as a peep. Melody didn't know much about children but the ones she had observed were never quiet, they were always babbling something at their parents or siblings. She pondered her current predicament as she entered her rooms and checked to make sure all her doors and windows were locked. Satisfied with the security of her suite she went into the bedroom and set the child on the bed. A little girl who couldn't be more than three looked up at her with tear filled eyes.

"Are you going to lock me in a closet too?" asked the little girl.

"No," said Melody as she looked at the girl confused.

Suddenly the tears vanished and the little girl smiled. "Good, now Darcy goes night-night," she said as she crawled under the covers and passed out on Melody's pillow.

Melody stared down at the odd creature who had just invaded her life and sighed. Knowing she had another long day tomorrow Melody turned and headed to the shower to wash off King's stink. She would never fall asleep if kept smelling his scent all over her, thankfully that was easily remedied. As she washed herself off she thought about what Darcy's presence might mean. Most likely it meant that King planned to train her to be just like Melody, but seeing as she was entirely too young for King's training methods he had foisted Darcy into her care. With that sobering thought she climbed out of the shower and dried herself off. King's training methods were brutal and they would permanently damage Darcy's young mind. In just a few short years though Darcy would be in the exact same predicament Melody had been in twenty years ago and nothing but a shell would be left. As she pulled on her pajamas and crawled into bed beside the sleeping child, she wondered would she have escaped this life if someone had given her a chance.


End file.
